Vaginal rejuvenation claims 'misleading patients'

Washington, August 30 (ANI): With the rise of procedures like vaginoplasty and labiaplasty to enhance the appearance of their genitalia or achieve some sort of sexual ideal, women are being "misled or confused about what is 'normal'," experts have revealed.

Vaginoplasty and Labiaplasty cost between 3,000-10,000 dollars and are not covered by insurance.

According to the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, Almost 5,200 women performed these surgeries in the U.S. annually.

"There are great variations of "normal"," ABC News quoted Dr. Cheryl B. Iglesia, a reconstructive pelvic surgeon and director of the female program at the National Center for Advanced Pelvic Surgery in Washington, D.C, as saying.

"Labia can be anywhere from 5 millimeters to 5 centimeters," Iglesia said.

She said that Internet pornography and removing pubic hair through Brazilian waxing or shaving give women unrealistic expectations about their bodies or what they believe men like and goes as far as to compare vaginal rejuvenation procedures to "new age female circumcision".

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) had warned about vaginoplasties and labiaplasties in 2007 that they were not medically indicated, questioning their safety and effectiveness.

According to ACOG, the biggest risks in such procedures are infection, altered sensation, dyspareunia, adhesions and scarring,

Iglesia said she had done reversal procedures for women whose vaginoplasties were so tight, that they had pain during sex while others had labiaplasty that left them with labia that "looked like Swiss cheese"

Sometimes the nerves around the clitoris were damaged.

Online forums reveal numerous accounts of "botched" surgeries.

Iglesia believes women have been "duped" by an entire culture that is oversexualized.

"Everyone sees 'Sex in the City' and are getting their public hair removed and looking down there," she said.

"They are watching Internet porn and looking at Playboy and Penthouse with a lot of touched up and airbrushed pictures," she said.

She said that with pubic waxing and grooming, younger women are "comparing".

"They feel like they are abnormal," she added. (ANI)

null